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Strange Facts The longest jail sentence in the history of the United States was said to be that of Darron Bennalford Anderson. He was convicted of rape in the state of Oklahoma and the judge in the case had sentenced him to 2,200 years in jail. I guess he figured that he had nothing to lose by appealing the case, so he did. The appeals court not only upheld the conviction, apparently they thought that he should receive more time behind bars, so they increased his jail time to a whopping 90 centuries plus. I guess this guy was never going anywhere. It looks to me that if they could have legally dismembered him they would have done it. He had been convicted of rape, sodomy, kidnapping, burglary, robbery and grand larceny. Three years later it was found that the grand larceny charge was double jeopardy, so his sentence was cut by 500 years. I guess the lesson to be learned here is that if you intend to commit a crime, don't do it in Oklahoma.
American Airlines In The 1970s Airlines are always looking at ways to save money. It is usually by more fuel efficient aircraft, or cutting out meals. Back in 1987 American Airlines conducted a study that really surprised them. They found that if they eliminated just one olive from every salad served that they could save $40,000 per year. Wow, I don't know how many olives they put in those salads, but they must have been gourmet. Sunflowers are native to North America. The seeds can be mixed with flour after they are ground and bread can be made from them, a sort of Pita bread. As far back as over 5,000 years ago they were farmed in the south west, in what became Mexico. They were taken to Europe and now can be found in many parts of the world, but they look nothing like the original sunflowers, since they been altered genetically. It is thought that sunflowers were grown before corn and were a good source of fat. The flower was not only used for bread, but its seeds were squeezed for oil, cracked and eaten and dye was made for the sunflower. Even the flower's stalks were dried and used for building. Did you ever wonder where the tradition of having a wedding cake came from? If we go back to ancient Rome we find that the marriage was sealed when the groom broke a barley cake over the bride's head. In medieval England a pile of buns was placed in front or the married couple so that they could kiss over them and supposedly this was for good luck. The unmarried ladies would take a piece of bun with them to put under their pillows. They usually contained things we would not want to eat today such as lamb testicles, sweetbreads, cockscombs, calf's feet and oysters. It wasn't until about the 16th century that things got sweet. White icing was invented and the whiter it was, the more of a status symbol it was and also proclaimed the bride's virginity. When the Victorian age came, the cakes had become very elaborate Peter Stuyvesant was a famous Dutch colonist and served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664 when the English had it ceded to them and renamed it New York. In 1644 he fought a battle with the Spanish and was hit in the leg with a cannon ball. His leg had to be amputated. It was given a full funeral and buried and he became known as “Old Silver Leg”, because of his wooden leg that had silver bands around it. If you were a Russian in the early 18th century and wanted to sport a beard, you had to pay a beard tax. The carriage used in the original Wizard of Oz movie actually belonged to Abraham Lincoln at one time.
Alexander Hamilton What did Alexander Hamilton have in common with Bill Clinton? Yes you guessed it, he was caught cheating on his wife who had bore him five children. Hamilton had an affair with a woman named Reynolds who's husband had abandoned her. It went on for years, then one day the husband appeared and told Hamilton that he would spill the beans if he was not paid. Hamilton paid the blackmail and continued the affair. Mr. Reynolds went to jail on unrelated charges a year later and Hamilton decided to end the affair. Five years passed when his political foes accused him not only of the affair, but trying to defraud the government, a charge Mr. Reynolds had been convicted of. Hamilton felt that he had no choice since he was not a crook and came clean. This caused quite a sensation among the population. We have all seen it. It is used to protect objects that are being shipped and sometimes it is used to amuse. I am talking about bubble wrap. Where did this stuff come from, I know that it was not around when I was a kid? It was invented in 1957. Two engineers had sewn together two shower curtains causing air to be caught between them and tried to sell this invention as a new type of wall paper. This failed and it was next marketed as insulation for greenhouses. It took years to discover the fact that this stuff make great packing material. When it was finally discovered, IBM became the first customer. Stone age man was believed to have a life span of 20 years. By the 16th century it had increased to about 33 years. By 1900 the average life span was 47. At the end of the 20th century it was 76 years. Will we continue to extend these numbers as we make new medical advances? Probably so.
Hitler During WWI It was the last year of the Great War, World War I. A British soldier knew the war was almost over. He had been decorated with the Victoria Cross for bravery, so he was no coward, but when he saw that German soldier who was wounded limp out of his trench in front of him he just couldn't shoot. "I took aim but couldn't shoot a wounded man," . The British soldier was named Tandey and the man he couldn't shoot was Adolph Hitler. Hitler never forget that soldier and when he came to power he ordered him tracked down. Hitler had found a painting of the soldier carrying an allied soldier on his back and hung it on a wall at his mountain top retread the Berghof at Berchtesgaden. Hitler located Tandey and called him on the phone to express his gratitude. When Neville Chamberlain came to Berlin, Hitler proudly showed him the painting. Tandey later stated, "If only I had known what he would turn out to be. When I saw all the people, woman and children, he had killed and wounded I was sorry to God I let him go,"
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